'I'm a dog trainer - simple trick to keep pets calm in front of visitors is game-changer'
If you have a reactive dog you'll know how frustrating it is when someone knocks at the door and your pooch starts barking its head off or leaps up constantly, luckily an canine trainer has shared the simple trick to stop it
If you have a reactive dog you'll understand that their overzealous behaviour is usually rooted in fear, either for themselves or for you. However, that doesn't mean that it can be difficult and exhausting to manage incessant barking when someone knocks on your door or perhaps walks past a window.
Luckily, dog trainers have shared a valuable lesson on how to calmly stop your pooch from barking and reacting when a visitor comes to the door with one simple step. Canine experts Morgan Strack and Katie Eaton of The Good Dog in Yorktown, Virginia, often share their advice on how to teach your pooch to behave.
Taking to Instagram, they wrote: "Bad habits at the front door? This is the easiest way to teach your dog how to be calm when people are coming over. Using a tether will prevent bad habits from forming while also being able to attend to your guest."
Morgan showed how put her dog Cooper on a leash that was stuck under the door, meaning he wasn't able to get to the visitor. She went on: "It's important to realise that ATTENTION is a reward to your dog. Rewards reinforce behaviours. So, the more your dog gets attention while they're jumping & barking, the more they're going to offer those behaviours."
Fast forwarding Cooper's reaction, it revealed that slowly but surely the pup began to calm down. Morgan went on: "Tethering is a great option if you don't have anyone around to hold the leash or help you with training. The tether will prevent your dog from being able to crowd your guests so that the wrong behaviours don't accidentally get reinforced.
"You want to reinforce CALMNESS instead - so don't let them greet your guests until they are much calmer! You'll notice over time that you don't have to use the leash nearly as much, till you can do away with it completely."
Finishing the video, Morgan explained that once your dog is completely calm you can put them on a lead and introduce them to the guest. But only when they're relaxed.
People loved the advice and rushed to thank the dog trainers. One person wrote: "Thank you!! I needed this tip. My dog has excitement pee! Drives me crazy cuz people don't always accept my request to please not touch him until he calms down. This will be a game changer I'm sure." And someone else added: "OMGosh! Lol. This made me want to cry! Haha. His adorable little tail he got so excited! And everyone just walked by!!!!! Poor bubba. I get it though. Just broke my heart for a minute."
Many people had follow-up questions. One user asked: "What should you do when they calm but once getting attention get wild again?" To which Morgan answered: "I would just put less emphasis on the greeting. Have your guest ignore your dog indefinitely, till they're nice and calm!"
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